CAA offices remain closed after fire

The Civil Aviation Authority headquarters in London is expected to be closed today (Thursday) following a fire under the building.

The head office of the regulator was evacuated along with many other offices in the Kingsway area yesterday afternoon.

Firefighters were called at 12.40pm to the incident in Holborn. Offices in the area were left without power.

“At present, we are assuming that the building will remain closed on Thursday April 2,” the CAA said.

“Our switchboard is open as usual on 0207 379 7311 as is Aviation House, our office at Gatwick. If you need to contact any of our London-based staff, please call the switchboard in the first instance.

“CAA staff based in London will be kept updated through their line manager, email and the CAA intranet.”

The timing of the fire could have implications for travel firms with the Easter break looming following the spring renewal deadline for Atol licences on Tuesday, as previously reported by Travel Weekly.

An estimated 5,000 people were evacuated from nearby buildings due to the fire and local theatre shows cancelled.

MSC Cruises’ offices and call centre in Holborn were closed, although its online agent booking service remained fully functional.

The cruise line tweeted this morning: “We still have no power after fire yesterday so v limited service until power resumed. Please use electronic booking tools. Our apologies.”

London Fire Brigade said crews would be working “through the night” to put the fire out and stop it spreading to buildings in the area.

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